Cascadia Advocate

Offering frequent news and analysis from the majestic Evergreen State and beyond, The Cascadia Advocate is the Northwest Progressive Institute's unconventional perspective on world, national, and local politics.

Wednesday, March 31, 2004

Governor Locke Signs Environmental Bills

In a strong day for Washington's environment, Governor Locke has signed several new pieces of legislation dealing with the environment.

A clip from the Seattle P-I:

Gov. Gary Locke on Wednesday signed into law the nation's toughest siting standards for new power plants, hoping to combat global warming by reducing the effects of carbon dioxide emissions.

The legislation was part of a five-bill package the governor signed with fanfare and a promise of a "cleaner, greener future for our state."

Other bills deal with stormwater runoff, oil spill prevention in coastal and inland waters, and a crackdown on shippers' bringing foreign invasive species into Washington waters through ballast water discharge.

Locke called the measures an unusually strong environmental package, and credited both houses and both parties, business and the environmental community, and experts from across state government.

"This is truly a significant package. It will make a measurable difference for years to come," the governor said as he signed the final environmental bills of his eight-year tenure.

The power plant legislation, House Bill 3141, gives the force of state law to rules the Locke administration handed down last fall. Washington is building on the program pioneered by Oregon in 1996. California is developing a similar crackdown, under a West Coast project by the three governors.

"These are the strongest standards in the nation for power plants," the governor said.